This statement is made in the interests of clarity, accountability, and the long-term health of Walsall FC.

At Christmas, Walsall were top of League Two and widely regarded as one of the most defensively organised sides in the division. Since then, the club has slipped to 7th, with form and confidence deteriorating at a critical point of the season. This is not a marginal change in fortune but a clear and measurable decline.

Crucially, this mirrors last season’s collapse. When the same structural issues re-emerge — loss of control, limited attacking ambition, tactical rigidity — it ceases to be a temporary dip and becomes a pattern. At that point, responsibility cannot rest solely on form or fixtures. The direct, long-ball experiment of the last two years has failed.

This is not a call driven by emotion or a single result. It is a conclusion based on league position, performance data, tactical outcomes, and repetition of failure. The Trust therefore believes that decisive action is now required, and that this must include considering a change of head coach.

Alongside on-field issues, there are growing concerns about ownership strategy and communication. Trivela Group have remained silent, and that silence is increasingly difficult to separate from decisions being made behind the scenes. The transfer policy, in particular, raises legitimate questions: a number of players have been recruited by Walsall FC only to be loaned out to Drogheda United. We have also relied heavily on loans and younger recruits stepping up from the National League. That approach may offer financial flexibility, but twice in two seasons it has failed to provide the depth, physical robustness, and consistency required to sustain a League Two promotion challenge.

At this level, development projects and group-wide asset management cannot come at the expense of competitive balance and ambition for Walsall FC. Without clearer communication and a transfer strategy demonstrably aligned to League Two realities, supporters are entitled to question whether the club’s immediate sporting objectives are being subordinated to wider ownership priorities.

Supporters do not expect miracles. They do expect ambition, accountability, leadership and value for their hard earned money in and around Bescot Stadium.


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5 thoughts on “Walsall Supporters’ Trust Statement

  1. A concise summary of the problem from WST, last year the excuse for our failure was the loss of Nathan Lowe when in fact we should have been able to secure automatic promotion without him. In addition to the statement from the WST over the last few games I am constantly frustrated by our inability to mark opposition players in and around the box and the way we leave the middle of the pitch free for opposing teams to pass the ball to each other with impunity.

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  2. it’s time for big changes players seem to be in the same frame of mind as last seasons run in they lack ambition it’s time for a fresh face at the helm it’s like the players don’t want to play under saddler after all what has he ach apart from disappointment new head coach asap let’s try and salvage something from this second disappointing season

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  3. I have supported Walsall for over 60 years on Saturday for the first time in those 60 years I walked out after 70 minutes. I therefore totally agree with the above statement. While I believe Matt Saddler is a dedicated and loyal coach, I believe he needs help or the club need a change of head coach. If you always do what you have always done you get what you always got which isn’t good enough.

    No Ambition !!!!

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  4. A fair assessment of where we are.

    To repeat the same strategy and expect a different result is illogical. Aside from the obvious tactical shortcomings on the pitch it is clear that our recruitment from lower divisions is not of the highest standard. It is at times painful to see the lack of quality shown compared to the opposition.

    The Triivela model is on the face of it sensible , but will only work in the longer term if we recruit well. It is clear that we have not done so up to now. It would not be kind to name names but we all know who they are.It is also clear that we have needed at least one striker to call our own for the last 2 seasons.

    The aim of any club is to progress up the leagues , however it begins to look as if Trivela are happy where we are as long as they are making a return on their investment. If current results continue they may find this difficult to achieve. We have missed the boat this year , again, but positive investment on the pitch is needed for 26/27 or crowds will slump with the inevitable economic consequences.

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  5. the standard of football of late as been showing but more so on Saturday against barnet . We was played off the park , felt like we had no game plan , we play same formation ,and there’s no one on the bench ,who we can bring on to change the game around .because we have like for like players .i was glad to see Aden flint with the comments of clearly not good enough, i wish our manager would say the same , i stead of brushing things under the carpet . Clearly he is losing a lot of support ,and that showed in Saturdays game,

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